Posts by VIVA! Communications
The implications of the OTC up-scheduling of codeine-containing medicines for Australians
Less than 24 hours since low-dose OTC codeine-containing medicines have been restricted to prescription only (Schedule 4), pharmacy is already raising concerns over potential consumer backlash. Fairfax reports an estimated 153,000 Australians use low-dose codeine-containing medicines at rates indicative of dependence, which the government has also dubbed as alarmingly high. By enforcing the up-scheduling of low-dose…
Read MoreNew blood test detects Alzheimer’s disease years earlier
Dementia has now taken the place of cancer as the second leading cause of death in Australia after heart disease. A team of scientists in Australia and Japan have developed the world’s first accurate blood test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, which can identify the presence of the disease up to 20 years before symptoms begin.…
Read MoreFunding promised to save more lives of people living with rare cancers
Future generations who may be diagnosed with rare cancers have been offered hope this week with the promise of a $26m investment package into new research. The money will be spent on 19 clinical trials, with the aim to reverse tragically low survival rates through the creation of new and more effective treatments. The research…
Read More‘Baby brain’ is a real phenomenon
We have all heard the old wives’ tale of women experiencing ‘baby brain’ during pregnancy. Symptoms are thought to include forgetting things, losing your train of thought or having trouble with planning. Recent research from Deakin University, published in the Medical Journal of Australia has looked at the scope of data across 20 studies, involving…
Read MorePharmacists to support Australians living with chronic pain
Pharmacies Australia-wide will be charged with helping patients who take chronic pain medication consistently for three months or more, under the Pain MedsCheck trial that will run up until June 2020 as part of the remaining Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement. The new $20 million program to be funded under the Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement will…
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